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7/22/2012

Convention Costs

What will it cost you to attend a doll convention? Going to a convention is very expensive. Here a general outline using this year's Fashion Royalty costs for you to estimate. Not every convention is the same so just use this as a guideline. The following list does not include transportation to the city as the range of costs will vary widely. Many of the expenses are optional.
Some people will be able to sell items to offset the costs and/or to make some money. Room sales are permitted but you have to register with the convention organizers. Some people who attend with a non-collecting partner, sell the partner's dolls. You can also use those duplicate dolls to trade for other dolls you want.

—Convention Attendance $400.00 (if you are staying at the Hyatt Grand Cypress Resort)
This includes three sit-down meals, the convention doll (not a centerpiece), swag/gifts, entertainment and dance party.

—Hotel $169/night per room.
Can be shared by up to 4 people. Add tax and tips.

—2012 Convention Collection $850 or $825 if pre-ordered and shipped to your home.
I don’t know if that includes shipping to your home. If you buy the collection at the event you will pay local tax on each doll but you get to take it home with you. If it gets shipped because you pre-ordered, it should arrive in a week. You do not have to purchase the entire collection or any part of it.

—Centerpieces $100-$150.
Each attendee usually gets the opportunity to purchase one centerpiece during the weekend at meal functions. You do not have to purchase a centerpiece.

—Table GiftsOptional $50. More or less. Most every seasoned convention attendee brings doll related gifts for every person that will be sitting at the table with them. I've received some lovely gifts and some trash. It's best to give one small useful item than a bag of something that will be trashed.

—Transportation/ Taxi to and from hotel $15-$20 each way. More or less.

6 comments:

It all adds up to a big waste of time & money for me. After going to last years Jet Set Convention, I was sorely disappointed. The dolls were awful, as were the fashions w/ plastic shoes. That experience has prompted me to never want to attend a convention again.

Also, for somebody like me, who only collects FR2, it's a double waste. I don't care about FR/NuFace or Poppy. There will only be at most, 3 FR2 dolls for the entire event. Most Wanted Elise is still on sale on IT's website. If I like the centerpiece doll from the luncheon enough, I can get her & still save a huge amount of money.

But considering how unimpressed I've been with FR2 lately, I doubt I will even like what's being offered.

Yes, it is QUITE expensive to go to a convention. That's why I don't understand why people complain about attendees going and marking up the prices on the dolls that they purchase at the convention. If I don't want to pay the big bucks to go to the convention, I shouldn't expect to purchase a convention doll at retail price. In the end, whether you go or not, if you want a convention doll, it's gonna cost you, lol.

I agree that some Convention dolls may end up costing quite a bit more on the secondary market, but it's not a given. The last 2 years I went, the dolls I was interested in showed up on IT's website for sale right after the event. People lost money on the Monogram centerpieces.

Just because it's a Convention doll does not mean it will go up in value. Kyori & Adele from Dark Romance were eventually marked down, as were most of the Jet Set dolls.

My number came up for the Monogram centerpiece last year. I was so disgusted, since I thought she looked like a cheap Barbie, and would only have lost money on her.

The popular Monogram line was stomped on by an awful exclusive, too many releases and under-whelming triplets. It was supposed to be the top of the line design...blah, blah. I hate it when a company puts their extras up from a convention for sale shortly after the event. It screws the people who actually went to the event. IT is not the only company that does it. Tonner does it all the time and I think it's awful.

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